TK Actions Quick Tip: Split toning

Sean Bagshaw posted another great Quick Tip video on his YouTube channel. Split toning is the topic this time and the new video shows how to customize the technique using luminosity masks. It goes well beyond the split toning capabilities of Light Room and highlights how the TKActions V6 panel and Photoshop provide a more refined approach to this process. Sean covers a lot of territory in this one. Here are some key steps to watch for in the video below:

Separately tone two copies of the same image in Light Room/ACR−one warm, one cool.

Open them as smart objects in Photoshop and stack them as one document.

Use Layer Mask Mode in the V6 panel to make a luminosity layer mask for one of the images that correctly reveals the desired toning in that image.

Modify the layer mask using things like a Curves adjustment and the Paint Brush tool.

Use the smart objects to take the images back to LR/ACR to enhance the effect as needed.

Fine-tune the split toning even more in Photoshop by adding adjustment layers specific to each images’ toning.

There’s an incredible amount of control possible with the steps Sean demonstrates here. I was impressed how the whole mood of the image changed as a result of the split toning process. The sun was above the background mountains in the original image, but not low enough to be casting a lot of warm light into the scene. However, with split toning, Sean essentially took this light and created an image that in the end has a strong golden hour feel to it, even creating some warm backlighting for the trees on the ridge. It’s a very pleasing transformation. I’m sure you’ll enjoy seeing how Sean does this.